TCA Highway Angels: Professional truck drivers honored for selfless acts of courage on the job

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has recognized professional truck drivers John Patterson, Dee Leatherwood, Kevin Wojtasiak, Amy Cataldo, Alexander Smith, Kevin Olsen, Jeanine Reinhard and Terry Walde as TCA Highway Angels because of their acts of heroism while on the road.

Here are their stories.

John Patterson

Melton Truck Lines, Tulsa, Oklahoma

John Patterson

TCA has named John Patterson, age 24, a Highway Angel for helping trapped and injured crash victims.

On the afternoon of June 9, 2025, Patterson was en route to pick up a load from a local customer in Tulsa.

As he approached the entrance and began to slow down for his turn, the driver behind him suddenly accelerated to pass and collided with another that was vehicle pulling out of the customer’s parking lot.

Patterson immediately pulled over and ran to assist. One of the cars had skidded into a ditch and was smoking heavily. Inside, the driver was unconscious and bleeding — and the door was jammed shut.

Acting quickly, Patterson forced the door open, unfastened the seat belt, and pulled the driver to safety.

“They were trapped; there was a little bit of blood, and there was smoke everywhere,” he said. “That’s why I got them out — because there was smoke everywhere.”

Next he then rushed to the second vehicle, which had crashed in a deep ditch. The occupants, a couple who spoke only French, were trapped in the vehicle. The door was jammed, so Patterson had to break a passenger-side window and pull the couple out.

A former U.S. Marine, Patterson carries a medical kit, which he used to apply first aid to the crash victims, both of whom were bleeding. He also contacted emergency medical services and the police. Upon their arrival, he relayed a full account of the accident to Tulsa officers and completed a formal report.

“Somebody was in danger, somebody was hurt — and stuck,” Patterson said. “If it was you, you’d want somebody to come help you.”

Dee Leatherwood

Melton Truck Lines, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Dee Leatherwood

On July 10, 2025, Dee Leatherwood of Burnet, Texas, was traveling on an interstate just west of Atlanta when he noticed smoke and sparks coming from underneath a Ford pickup truck ahead of him. His actions in the next few minutes earned him the title of TCA Highway Angel.

“All of a sudden it started smoking. He slammed on his brakes and got on the shoulder,” he said. “As I’m easing by, I could see fire dripping down plastic that had caught fire.”

Leatherwood also noticed a child’s car seat in the back of the vehicle, which heightened his sense of urgency. Without hesitation, he pulled over to help.

Once he was safely parked, Leatherwood grabbed his fire extinguisher and began spraying the underside of the vehicle to prevent the fire from spreading.

“I looked at that car seat — and luckily there wasn’t a baby in it,” said the retired rancher and grandfather who has been driving a truck for two years. “I kept the fire as low as I could until the fire department arrived.”

Fortunately the driver wasn’t injured, and a nearby police officer soon arrived to provide further assistance. Thanks to Leatherwood’s quick thinking and calm response, a potentially dangerous situation was brought under control without harm.

“I wasn’t worried about anything else other than if there was a little one inside that pickup truck,” he said. “I would hope that anyone would do that in that situation, whether they had a fire extinguisher or not.”

Kevin Wojtasiak

Bay & Bay Transportation, Eagan, Minnesota

Kevin Wojtasiak

Kevin Wojtasiak is honored as a TCA Highway Angel because of his actions during a roadside emergency.

At about 4:45 a.m. on June 29, 2025, Wojtasiak was traveling on Interstate 35 in Clarks Grove, Minnesota, when he saw a vehicle in the roadway, engulfed in flames.

Without hesitation, Wojtasiak pulled over to help, ensuring the driver and three passengers were safely out of harm’s way. He remained at the scene until emergency responders arrived, offering water and reassurance to the motorists — who, remarkably, escaped injury despite the fire.

“They hit a deer — I saw a dead deer in the road and all of a sudden I saw a flaming vehicle,” recalled Wojtasiak. “A fire extinguisher wouldn’t have done any good. The vehicle was totally engulfed in flames.”

With more than 2 million safe miles driven during his career, Wojtasiak exemplifies the professionalism, selflessness and dedication to public safety that define America’s truck drivers.

“We are incredibly proud of Kevin for his heroic actions,” said Savannah Snelgrove, marketing manager at Bay & Bay Transportation. “He represents the highest standards of our company and the trucking industry as a whole. Being named a TCA Highway Angel is a well-deserved honor.”

Amy Cataldo

Boyle Transportation, Billerica, Massachusetts

Amy Cataldo

Because of her quick actions and compassion following a serious crash in Texas, Amy Cataldo has earned her TCA Highway Angel wings.

In the early morning hours of September 24, 2025, while traveling outside Amarillo, Texas, Cataldo say a truck overturn directly in front of her. Without hesitation, she safely slowed her own truck, activated her four-way flashers to warn approaching traffic, and called 911.

“His tires went off the road. It was in a construction zone, it had been raining, there was mud from the construction on the road — I feel so bad for this driver,” she said. Cataldo rushed to the injured driver, who was disoriented and bleeding.

“The driver was out of the truck, but he was really confused,” she said. “The poor kid — he was really cut up. He was bleeding on his arms and his knuckles.”

Cataldo stayed with him, offering reassurance and care until emergency crews arrived minutes later. Her willingness to act swiftly and selflessly helped prevent further danger on the road and ensured the injured driver was not alone during those critical moments.

“What I did was what I would hope any other driver would do,” she said.

Alexander Smith

Melton Truck Lines, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Alexander Smith

TCA recognizes Alexander Smith as a TCA Highway Angel for stopping to help during a horrific crash in the middle of the night in Oklahoma.

At about 2 a.m. on June 18, 2025, Smith was driving westbound on Interstate 44 in heavy rain when a car passed him and then passed the semi in front of him.

He watched as the car hydroplaned and the driver lost control. The vehicle flipped and spun multiple times before finally landing on the shoulder of the highway.

“I realized the guy was doing flips — he was doing them right in front of the other semi,” Smith said, noting that the other truck did not stop, even though he had to have seen the crash.

Smith immediately slowed down to create space between his truck and the wrecked car. He then pulled over, got out and rushed to check on the driver.

“He landed right-side up in the ditch,” Smith said. “All the air bags were deployed. Honestly, after watching what happened, I thought, ‘There’s no way this guy is alive.’”

When Smith reached the vehicle, he found that the driver, a young man, had some visible cuts and scrapes but was conscious.

“The guy was just sitting there looking at me,” Smith said. “Obviously he was in shock, but the first thing he said to me was, ‘Can you help me find my phone?’”

Smith asked if the driver was OK, helped him out of the car to safety and called 911. The driver was clearly shaken and had suffered minor injuries, but thankfully, nothing serious. He was deeply grateful that Smith had been there to help.

“I stopped because I was there,” Smith said. “Who else was gonna do it? I believe that you’re put in places for a reason.”

Kevin Olsen

Truline Corp., Las Vegas, Nevada

Kevin Olsen

Kevin Olsen of Logan, Utah, has been named a TCA Highway Angel because of his actions following a motorcycle crash.

Shortly after 9 a.m. on June 4, 2025, Olden was driving on U.S. 89 North in Garden City, Utah, en route to a customer. Suddenly, the operator of a motorcycle that was traveling ahead of him lost control of the vehicle and crashed on the roadway.

“I came to a stop and went to assess the situation,” Olsen said. “He was having trouble breathing; I think it was as a result of the impact with the road.”

Olsen got the crash victim ibuprofen and water and waited until they were able to catch his breath. The rider complained of rib pain, but didn’t appear to have any other obvious injuries.

There was no cellphone coverage in the accident area, but a passing driver was able to alert emergency personnel with a satellite phone.

Olsen also helped to make sure that passing motorists did so at a pace that was safe for the conditions and to prevent further incidents from rising. He was on the scene for over 90 minutes, assisting with the accident, before emergency responders told him he could depart.

“I didn’t want to leave him hanging,” Olsen said. “I ride a motorcycle myself and this easily could have been me — I felt like it was my responsibility to make sure he was taken care of.”

Jeanine Reinhard

Halvor Lines Inc., Superior, Wisconsin

Jeanine Reinhard

Professional truck driver Jeanine Reinhard, a resident of Charlotte, North Carolina, is honored as a TCA Highway Angel because she stopped to help a fellow truck driver who was unresponsive and blocking traffic at a weigh station.

It was about noon in Kuttawa, Kentucky, on June 17, 2025, and Reinhard had stopped at a weigh station. When she was ready to pull out, she discovered the roadway was blocked by another semi-truck.

When she got out of her rig and approached the other truck, she realized the driver, a man, had an oxygen tank and was unresponsive. It was only Reindhard’s second week on the job at Halvor.

“I said, ‘Are you okay?’,” she said. “He couldn’t talk, so I said, ‘Do you need medical attention?’”

While she was quick to dial 911, she ran into a delay.

“Can you believe 911 never answered?” she said.

She was eventually able to contact Kentucky state Police in another county; that department transferred her to the help she needed.

She waited with the other driver until first responders arrived. They were able to get the man out of the truck; then state troopers moved the tractor-trailer out of the way of traffic.

“He was an older gentleman — hopefully he was okay,” Reinhard said.

Terry Walde

Searcy Trucking Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Terry Walde

Terry Walde, who hails from Miami, Manitoba, Canada, earned his Highway Angel wings for stopping to aid a cyclist who had been struck by a semi-truck on the road in a hit-and-run accident.

On May 27 at about 12:45 p.m., while traveling eastbound on Highway 1 between Ernfold and Chaplin, Saskatchewan, Walde encountered debris on the highway and immediately slowed down. Moments later, he came upon a critical scene — a cyclist, who was journeying across Canada, had been struck by a semi-truck that had then fled the scene.

“I saw the bicycle — and I also saw the guy lying there beside the bicycle,” Walde said. “Another truck driver stopped and called 911 while I tended to the guy, to make sure he was still alive.”

Walde, who’s been a professional truck driver for 42 years, knew the cyclist needed help immediately. The man had sustained serious injuries including a broken leg, ribs and collarbone. He was lying on the side of the road, struggling to breathe.

“You could see on the grass along a ditch that the truck (that hit the cyclist and fled) drove right onto the grass, then kept going back onto the road again,” Walde said, noting that the truck had actually driven over the victim.

“You could see the right tire tracks of the tractor-trailer went right over him (the cyclist) on the grass,” he said.

Walde reached out to emergency responders. Then, when he realized traffic wasn’t slowing down near the accident scene, he directed traffic for several hours.

Searcy Trucking later provided dash cam footage to support the investigation. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable Ryan Oram confirmed with Searcy Trucking that the driver responsible was apprehended and charged shortly afterward.

When asked why he went to such lengths to help the injured cyclist, Walde was very matter-of-fact.

“I’m old school — it’s the way I was taught,” Walde said. “We help each other.”

About TCA’s Highway Angels program

In recognition of these drivers’ willingness to help fellow drivers and motorists, TCA has presented each Highway Angel with a certificate, a lapel pin, patches, and truck decals. Their employers have also received a certificate highlighting their driver as a recipient.

Since TCA’s Highway Angels program began in 1997, nearly 1,400 professional truck drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels because of the exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage they have displayed while on the job. TCA extends special thanks to the program’s presenting sponsor, EpicVue, and supporting sponsors DriverFacts and Northland Insurance.

To nominate a driver or read more about these and other Highway Angel award recipients, visit highwayangel.org.

Linda Garner-Bunch has been with The Trucker since 2020, picking up the reins as managing editor in 2022. Linda has nearly 40 years of experience in the publishing industry, covering topics from the trucking and automotive industry to employment, real estate, home decor, crafts, cooking, weddings, high school sports — you name it, she’s written about it. She is also an experienced photographer, designer and copy editor who has a heartfelt love for the trucking industry, from the driver’s seat to the C-suite.

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